Abstract:
The main aim of this article is to trace the ecumenical value of the
Oberammergau Passion Play concerning the Catholic-Protestant and Jewish-
Christian dialogue in the light of the Second Vatican Council teaching on
Ecumenism. This aim is achieved through a comparative study of the pre-Vatican
II and the post-Vatican II scripts of the Oberammergau Passion Play. Though the
term ecumenism is an innovation of post-Vatican II theology, the Passion Play of
Oberammergau was the main instrument for the cordial relationship between the
Catholics and the Protestants who lived in this village when the whole of Europe
clashed with each other on the grounds of Christian religious extremism which
resulted from Protestant Reformation in the 16th century CE. The subsequent
editions of the Passion Play scripts of Oberammergau in 2000 and 2010 were
directly influenced by post-Vatican II theology on the renewal of the relationship
between Jews and Christians. Hence, the relevance of the Passion Play of
Oberammergau in an ecumenical sense is immeasurable.
